The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1887-01-06
GHOULS OF THE PRESS.
How They Abused the Father OF HI
Country.

How They Abused the Fatner OF Hls
Country
Those who regard President Cleve-
land as the first chief magistrate who
has been vilified by the press are ignor-
ant of history, writes Ben: Perley
Poore in The Philadetphia Times. The
spirit of defamation began when the
man blamed the woman and the woman
blamed the serpent. In all lands the
public and private characters of chief
magistrates have been assaulted, and
no man. living or dead. was ever more
cruelty maligned or outrageously de-
famed than George Washington. Let
me adduce but a fragment or two
from the mass of scurrillity heaped
upon him. He was denounced as "a
traitor" for his proclamation of April,
1898, declaring amity with the bellig-
erent powers of Europe, and warning
citizens of the United States against all
movements inconsistent with neutrality.
For this plain act of duty under his
oath he was held up to public scorn, he
was accused of hostility to France and
secret favor to England; and. as one of
the results of this denunciation, at the
opening of the third congress in the en-
suing December the administration
candidate for speaker was defeated by
an emphatic majority.
The aurora of that day said: III
ever a nation was debauched by man
the American nation has been debauch-
ed by Washington. If ever nation
was deceived by man the American ma
ton has been deceived by Washington.
Let his conduct, then, be an example to
future ages. Let it serve as warning
that no man may become an idol. Let
the history of the federal government
instruct mankind othat the mask OF
patriotism may be worn to conceal the
foulest designs against the liberties OF
the people. - In letter to Henry Lee,
under date of July 21, 1898, Washing
ton spoke of the violence with which
his policy had been assailed. But in
what" he says. "will this abuse ter
inmate? For the result, as it respects
myself. care not, for have a consola-
ton within that no earthly efforts can
deprive me of, and that is, that neither
ambition nor interested motives have
influenced my conduct, and the arrows
of malevolence, therefore, however
barbed and well-pointed, never can
reach the most vulnerable part at me
though. while am up as mark, they
will be continually aimed. The publi-
cations in Freeman's and Buck papers
are outrages on common decency.
When. on one occasion as Jefferson
tells us, Knox made some allusion to
recent libels uttered by the press.
Washington became very much exc. ted,
..got into one of those passions when
he can not command himself; dwelt
much on the personal abuse which had
been bestowed upon him; defied any
man on earth to produce one single act
of his since he had been in the govern
ment which had not been done with the
purest motives. He had never repent
ed but once the having slipped the
moment of resigning his office-and
that was every moment since-and by
God, he had rather be in his grave than
in his present situation. He had
rather be on his farm than be made
emperor of the world. and yet they
were charging him with wanting to be
king. That rascal Freeman sent him
three of his papers every day, as if
he would become the distributor of
them--an act in which he. could see
nothing but an impudent design to in
suit him.
On the second day after Washington s
retirement from the presidential chair
the following appeared in The aurora: !:
Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant
depart in peace, for mine eyes have
seen Thy salvation was the pious
ejaculation of a man who beheld a
flood of happiness rushing in upon
mankind. If ever there was a time
which would license the reiteration of
this exclamation that time has now
arrived for the man who is the source
of all the misfortunes of our country
is this day reduced to the level with
his fellow-citizens. Such diatribes
against the foremost man of the nation
show that personal vituperation is not
modern weapon.